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Author
Topic: John2038's Research News (Read 279076 times)

wow wow wow this is cool and very different... like a vaccine!!! not an ultra violet cleaner but an ultra violet blood modulator that kills and breaks apart the virus and then LIKE OPAL therapy infuses the broken apart pieces of the virus back into the body so the the body can stimulate immune system and attack the real virusbasically i think that the UV does the same thing that OPAL does Ex Vivo and then the bodies human immune system does the rest because there must be millions of pieces of the virus peptides and proteins partially or completely inactivated but they are shapes and give and teach the immune system to attack the virus!!!!

there is a video toobut i couldnt get it to work

"After exposure, the blood carrying the inactive pathogen is returned to the patient through the same portal it was drawn from. The result, we believe, is a stimulation of the immune system. The process takes 20-30 minutes.

The Hemo-Modulator technology was developed to utilize ultra-violet light in the C band (UVC) energy is the backbone of our Hemo-Modulator technology, developed for treatment of blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS and other Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) viruses. Unlike conventional drug therapies that appear to be limited by a patient's ethnicity and viral genotype, Energex Systems is hopeful that clinical studies will establish that this unique therapy is safe and highly effective for all ethnic groups and viral genotypes.

TREATMENThttp://www.energexsystems.com/hemomod.htmThe treatment process involves removing a small amount of infected blood (3-4%) from the patient, then exposing the blood to a very precise amount of UVC energy for a very precise amount of time. During treatment, any pathogen in the blood that is exposed to the UVC energy is inactivated. After exposure, the blood carrying the inactive pathogen is returned to the patient through the same portal it was drawn from. The result, we believe, is a stimulation of the immune system. The process takes 20-30 minutes.

Hemo-Modulator technology:

Ultra-violet light in the C band (UVC) energy treatment of blood-borne diseases such as Hepatitis C, HIV/AIDS and other Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) viruses. Unlike conventional drug therapies that are limited by the patient's ethnicity and geno-types we are hopeful that our clinical studies will establish that this unique therapy is safe and highly effective in all ethnic groups and genotypes.

Preliminary results of our Hepatitis C clinical trial performed at Warren Hospital in Phillipsburg, NJ, have shown substainial reductions in viral load for most of the trial participants treated with the Hemo-Modulator technology. The trial is being conducted under an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) that was granted by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) In the trial, the average viral load reduction of the first three participants was approximately 81% in just a 17-day period, and there have been no adverse events.

Well, if any of these technics could help, then it's fine. They aren't a cure for sure. But they may help, as the dialysis help.

I just hopes physics will some day, offer a treatment. Maybe involving radio-active particles, or specific waves.Nowadays, the best treatment against cancer is the chemio-therapy, and it is using waves.

Before accusing the meds or HIV to be only reason your ALT rose, you maybe want to read this no-so-recent study (despite I guess it's nothing new for most of you).

Fast-food binge harms liver, but boosts good cholesterol: study

Feb 13, 2008

PARIS (AFP) — A month-long diet of fast food and no exercise led to dangerously high levels of enzymes linked to liver damage, in an unusual experiment inspired by the docu-movie "Supersize Me."

But investigators, reporting their findings on Thursday, were also stunned to find that a relentless regimen of burgers, fries and soda also boosted so-called good cholesterol, seen as a key measure of cardiovascular health.

Researchers in Sweden asked 12 men and six women in their twenties, all slim and in good health, to eat two meals per day at McDonalds, Burger King or other fast-food restaurants over four weeks.

The volunteers were also told to refrain from exercising. The goal was to increase body weight by 10 to 15 percent to measure the impact of an abrupt surge in calorie intake.

Blood samples were taken before, during and after the experiment to monitor levels of an enzyme called alanine aminotransferase, or ALT, a potential marker for liver damage often seen among heavy drinkers and patients with hepatitis C.

Levels of ALT increased sharply after only one week, and quadrupled on average over the entire period, said lead researcher Frederik Nystrom, a doctor at the University Hospital of Linkoping.

"The results scared me," he told AFP. "One of the subjects had to be withdrawn from the study because he had 10 times the normal ALT levels."

For 11 of the 18 subjects, ALT rose to levels that would normally reflect liver damage, even among individuals who did not drink any alcohol, although no such damage occurred, he said.

Two of the individuals had liver steatosis, or fatty liver, in which fat cells build up dangerously in the liver, he said. Steatosis is associated with the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, which has taken on epidemic proportions, especially in industrialised countries.

Published in the British Medical Association's journal Gut, the study "proves that high ALT levels can be caused by food alone," said Nystrom.

That signs of liver damage were linked to carbohydrates was another key finding, he said.

"It was not the fat in the hamburgers, it was rather the sugar in the coke," he said.

But the most startling result implies that an intensive fast food diet might have some health benefits too, apparently from fat.

"We found that healthy HDL cholesterol actually increased over the four-week period -- this was very counter-intuitive," Nystrom said.

HDL, sometimes called "good cholesterol," seems to clean the walls of blood vessels, removing excess "bad cholesterol" that can cause coronary artery disease and transporting it to the liver for processing.

Nystrom has yet to publish the cholesterol findings, but said they were consistent with the so-called "French Paradox."

For nearly two decades, scientists have wrestled to explain how the French can consume a diet rich in fats -- from abundant butter, cream, cheese and meat -- yet have generally low levels of heart disease and hypertension.

"The study showed that the increase in saturated fat correlated with the increase in healthy cholesterol," he said.

The young Swedish guinea pigs ate at least two fast-food meals a day, and terminated the study once they had gained a maximum of 15 percent in weight.

On average, they tipped the scales 6.5 kilos (14.3 pounds) more, but one ballooned by 12 kilos (26.4 pounds).

Nystrom got the idea for his study from the 2004 Oscar-nominated documentary "Supersize Me," in which filmmaker Morgan Spurlock asked doctors to monitor him over a 30-day period in which he ate at McDonalds morning, noon and night.

Doctors were so alarmed by changes in his blood chemistry -- including skyrocketing levels of ALT -- that they begged him to halt his experiment.

"I wasn't just inspired by the movie, I copied it to the best of my ability," said Nystrom.

The movie helped spur a change of tack by fast-food corporations to include healthier options on their menus.

On their websites, McDonald's and Burger King highlight salads and low-fat products -- alongside the classic burgers and colas -- and offer guidance on balanced diets and a healthy lifestyle.

HTGC increased from 1.1 (1.9)% to 2.8 (4.8)%, although this was not related to the increase in ALT levels. ALT levels were unchanged in controls.

Conclusion: Hyper-alimentation per se can induce profound ALT elevations in less than 4 weeks. Our study clearly shows that in the evaluation of subjects with elevated ALT the medical history should include not onlyquestions about alcohol intake but also explore whether recent excessive food intake has occurred.

This is interesting -- I remember being a little surprised when I saw "Supersize me".

However, I don't know that it is necessarily "fast-food" per se, that is the culprit, rather it is a sudden increase in calories and, thus body mass. This quote is most telling:

"The volunteers were also told to refrain from exercising. The goal was to increase body weight by 10 to 15 percent to measure the impact of an abrupt surge in calorie intake."

I am guessing, that any diet that could increase your weight by 10-15% in 2 weeks would strain the liver.

Plus, I'm not sure that an ALT of 97 is a "profound" increase - hell when I was 3 weeks into a Hepatitis A infection, my ALT was over 1600 -- I'm sure that wasn't the highest it got, but it was the only reading taken.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of New Drug ClassesAnton PozniakManagement Considerations: Resistance and TropismDaniel KuritzkesThe Clinical Role of New Drug Classes in Optimizing Treatment OutcomesRafael Campo

This is a message I post from time to time as a general warning. A few of our regulars in this Research Forum, notably John2038 and bimazek, have a tendency to view each potential new AIDS therapy as a possible cure. Neither of them are on treatment, and neither is an "expert" in HIV research (in the opinion of our own experts at AIDSmeds.com).

They both over-hype every press release or early study they read about, and fail to keep things in proper perspective. The history of AIDS research is littered with therapies that sound just as good at first, but don't pan out later in the larger clinical trials.

Please take their postings with a grain of salt.

Peter StaleyFounderAIDSmeds.com

P.S. The AIDSmeds team is actually very skeptical about this particular medical device and the claims made about.

I would have to applaude them for there effort in finding information to help, but like I have said in the past until I have the pills in hand and washing them down with a glass of water I am not going to get to excited about any new treatment.

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Atheist don't believe in GOD, but GOD believes in them and loves them. Never let the failure of man conflict with your love of GOD.

WSA-2008 is a focused event for updating the current advances in worldwide R & D of Novel Antiviral Therapeutics. The anticipated attendees will represent top-level decision makers from leading biotech, pharmaceutical, and healthcare organizations.

"Over the last six months we have presented clinical trial update for VRX496 and preclinical development update for VRX1023 at five conferences in three countries. We wanted to take this opportunity to summarize what we have shown over the last six months as well as talk about what we have learned at the conferences regarding how VRX496 and VRX1023 might play in the treatment of HIV infection," said Riku Rautsola, PhD, President and CEO of VIRxSYS.

"These conferences have not just been an opportunity to present our data, but we have also learned more about what we do and gotten feedback from leaders in the field. For example, in Paris, Dr. Fauci's presentation focused on the discovery and identification of a new immune cell receptor that binds to HIV, a cell adhesion molecule known as integrin alpha 4 beta 7 that is found to direct CD4 T cell traffic to GALT and enhance cellular interaction through forming synapses between T cells. This was interesting and welcome news for VIRxSYS because VRX-496 transduced CD4 T cells have a high expression of the same receptors and there is large presence of such T cells in GALT."

VIRxSYS presented data at the following four conferences in the first half of 2008:

Annual Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (Boston, MA, USA) February 2008Results demonstrating the slowing and possible halting of HIV replication in humans were presented from the Phase II trial of VRX496, a gene therapy treatment for patients with AIDS. VRX496 is a lentiviral vector that is derived from HIV-1 itself but has the disease-causing elements removed. VIRxSYS used this vector to deliver RNA antisense targeting the HIV envelope and observed that VRX496 appeared to cause wild type (wt)-HIV particles to lose their envelopes. Additionally, the in vivo pressure delivered by a patient's own modified cells led to massive quasispecies reductions and the production of impaired and less replicative virions. Treatment with VRX496 appeared to have a measurable effect on the replicative fitness of HIV for up to three years following just one injection.

Keystone Symposia on Molecular Mechanisms of HIV Pathogenesis and HIV Vaccine (Banff, Alberta, Canada) March 2008VIRxSYS presented initial mouse and primate data from the study of VRX1023, a new vaccine approach that uses a lentiviral vector expressing HIV antigens. In the study, VRX1023 delivered antigens that induced long-lasting cellular and humoral immune responses, better than those seen with other viral vectors, a powerful approach used to elicit anti-HIV immune responses. The goal of VRX1023 is to induce a powerful immune response, thereby reducing the impact of the first stages of infection by preventing the massive destruction of CD4 T cells that ensues. Activation of both cellular and humoral immunity can also halt the slow destruction of the immune system by the latently dormant virus. The results from these studies of VRX1023 have led to the initiation of further confirmatory studies in primates.

Institut Pasteur (Paris, France) May 2008To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the isolation of HIV, researchers gathered at the Institut Pasteur to present cutting edge viral and clinical research. Present at this conference were Dr. Robert Gallo and Dr. Luc Montagnier, the discoverers of HIV. At the Institut Pasteur, VIRxSYS presented data from the preclinical studies of VRX1023. This innovative anti-HIV vaccine, which uses an HIV-based lentivector as vector boost, aims to reduce the impact of hyper-viremia in the first few weeks of infection. VRX1023 offers new hope for the development of an HIV-vaccine.

American Society of Gene Therapy (Boston, MA, USA) May 2008At the American Society of Gene Therapy conference, Dr. Carl June and Dr. John Zaia presented updates on the safety of VRX496 in Phase II clinical trials. VRX496 continues to demonstrate a strong safety profile, with no adverse events associated with the treatment, which is being administered to patients using one, two, four or eight doses. The Phase II results also allowed the researchers to have a better understanding of how VRX496 works. Unlike anti-retroviral drugs, VRX496 appears to bind to the RNA of HIV, changing the genetics and biology of the virus, including the molecular diversity of HIV and the replicative fitness. In addition to these results, VIRxSYS also presented three posters on their new gene therapy vaccine, VRX1023. VRX1023 is a preclinical investigational prophylactic HIV vaccine that aims to protect but not totally sterilize individuals, thereby minimizing the likelihood of new infections.

Conference on Lentiviral Vectors (Evry, France) July 2008VIRxSYS was invited to present its patient monitoring data at this international conference funded by the European Community. As the sponsor of the world's first clinical trial using lentiviral vectors, VIRxSYS has the most extensive data base of patient safety monitoring, in addition to being the largest manufacturer of clinical grade lentiviral vectors.

About VRX496VRX496 is an investigational gene therapy for the treatment of HIV/AIDS. Current therapies for HIV-infected patients require daily drug regimens and have well documented side effects. It is anticipated that VRX496 will only require a minimal number of infusions and, to date, has been infused in 60 patients, which represents an accumulative time period of 110 therapy years. VRX496 also is different from previous gene therapies because it uses a lentiviral vector derived from HIV-1 itself. Unlike other viral vectors, lentiviral vectors appear to sustain expression of the delivered genes of interest for a longer period of time and do not appear to elicit an inflammatory immune response.

About VRX1023VRX1023 is a preclinical investigational prophylactic HIV vaccine currently showing encouraging results in trials using small animals. Non-human primate studies are currently in progress. The objective of VRX1023 is to provide long-term immune protection against HIV replication, preventing the massive destruction of CD4 T cells and also halting the subsequent slow destruction of the immune system by HIV.

About VIRxSYSVIRxSYS is a private biotechnology company using proprietary lentiviral vector delivery and RNA payload platforms to develop therapies for serious human diseases. The Company's initial lentiviral delivery technology was exclusively licensed from The Johns Hopkins University and has been substantially advanced in the Company's laboratories. The RNA payload technology was acquired and has been integrated with the Company's lentiviral delivery technology. In addition to preclinical programs for cardiovascular and genetics the Company is currently developing gene and vaccine therapies for HIV, one of which, VRX496, has advanced to Phase II human clinical trials. More information regarding VIRxSYS can be found at www.virxsys.com. Details for the Phase II study can be found at the NIH clinical trials website at clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00131560.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains, in addition to historical information, certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, in particular statements related to the research and development of VRX496. Such statements reflect the current views of VIRxSYS and are based on certain assumptions. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated as a result of a number of factors, including risks and uncertainties related to drug development activities. There can be no assurance that such development efforts will succeed, that the products will receive required regulatory clearance or, even if such regulatory clearance is received, that the subsequent products will ultimately achieve commercial success. Further, any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement speak only as of the date hereof, and VIRxSYS expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise may be required by applicable law or regulation.Contact: Russell LaMontagnePhone: 212.255.5340

I am a bit pessimistic as during our last meeting, VIRxSYS have more focused on the technical difficulties (to produce for e.g. such therapy) than on the result.

I know I tried! I am going to attempt to listen in on press conference next week with Virxsys on the current study results I got an invite. If I am able to listen in I am going to post some information on my blog about it. I hope to hear good news on this! I too hope this stuff works. It is at least a good theory.

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big publicly traded french company just signed to help manufacture the vaccinea big prestigious company that is publicly traded on major stock exchange would not have signed with small atlanta company on OTC exchange unless the scientists thought the tech was very very strong rightthey would have waited to do press release until later if they were not excited by some results they have seenrightor made it condition to not publicly press release thier partnership until laterright

GeoVax Labs, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: GOVX), an Atlanta based, biopharmaceutical company developing human vaccines for diseases caused by HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and other infectious agents, together with Vivalis (NYSE Euronext: VLS), a French biopharmaceutical company that provides innovative cell-based solutions to the pharmaceutical industry for the manufacture of vaccines and proteins, announced today the signing of a letter of intent (LOI) for joint collaboration and commercial license on the use of Vivalis' EBx(R) technology, to manufacture the MVA component of the GeoVax HIV-1 vaccine.

Glad to know China is playing a role in fighting HIV, but the host, BIT company, seems to be a 100% for profit privately owned company, not a research institute or government agency so it looks like to me this is a PR stunt by BIT. Host city Kunming is a very nice city to vacation though.

Hey Leit,I actually met one person that I only got to talk to once on the phone and we never talked again. I wish I could have stayed in touch with him as he was already in the study. So much for that one but oh well. Thanks for the welcome back! I have been so busy with my job and a work trip with my church to New Orleans I have not had time to drop by and see what is going on. But I am well and things are going good!

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Whem smaller biotech companies are developing a compound that seems to have a potential to make it to the market, bigger pharma companies will show interest, and try to buy or partner the biotech. It happened with Roche and Trimeris and with J&J and Tibotec. So, i guess this a good sign.

I'm posting that because it is the kind of news needed by resistants patients, waiting for better alternatives.

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 22, 2008 - Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq:GILD) today announced that it has begun enrolling patients in a Phase III clinical trial of its investigational antiretroviral agent elvitegravir (GS 9137), a novel oral integrase inhibitor that is being evaluated for the treatment of HIV-1 infection. The study is designed to assess the non-inferiority of ritonavir-boosted elvitegravir, dosed once daily, compared to raltegravir (Isentress(R)), another integrase inhibitor that is dosed twice daily. The study will enroll 700 HIV-infected, treatment-experienced patients at approximately 125 sites in the United States and Puerto Rico. A second Phase III study with a similar design involving 700 HIV-infected, treatment-experienced patients will be initiated later this year in Europe, Canada and Australia.

"Advancing novel compounds for the treatment of HIV/AIDS remains a key area of focus for Gilead, and we are very pleased that our integrase inhibitor, elvitegravir, continues to make progress with the initiation of this Phase III clinical trial," said Norbert Bischofberger, PhD, Executive Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Scientific Officer, Gilead Sciences. "As HIV patients remain on therapy for longer periods of time, the development of resistance to existing classes of drug is a significant concern. Based on the results observed in our Phase II study of elvitegravir, we believe the compound may have the potential to play an important role for patients in need of new treatment options."

Unlike other classes of antiretroviral agents, integrase inhibitors interfere with HIV replication by blocking the ability of the virus to integrate into the genetic material of human cells.About the Elvitegravir Phase III Study

The elvitegravir Phase III study is a randomized, double-blind, 48-week clinical trial that will assess the non-inferiority of ritonavir-boosted elvitegravir (n=350) versus raltegravir (n=350), each administered with a background regimen in HIV-infected treatment-experienced adults with HIV RNA (viral load) of greater than or equal to 1,000 copies/mL. Patients will have documented viral resistance, as defined by International AIDS Society-USA guidelines, or at least six months of treatment experience with two or more different classes of antiretroviral agents prior to screening. Patients who have previously taken an integrase inhibitor will be excluded.

Trial participants will receive either once-daily elvitegravir 150 mg or twice-daily raltegravir 400 mg. Patients' background regimens will be based on the results of resistance testing and will include a fully-active ritonavir-boosted protease inhibitor (PI), and a second agent that may be a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI), etravirine, maraviroc or enfuvirtide. Due to known pharmacokinetic interactions, elvitegravir patients whose background PI is either atazanavir or lopinavir will receive an 85 mg dose of elvitegravir.

The primary efficacy endpoint will be the proportion of subjects in both arms of the study who achieve and maintain confirmed viral load of less than 50 copies/mL through 48 weeks. Secondary endpoints will include various additional measures of the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the two treatment regimens.About Elvitegravir

Elvitegravir, also known as GS 9137 or JTK 303, was licensed by Gilead from Japan Tobacco Inc. (JT) in March 2005. Under the terms of Gilead's agreement with JT, Gilead has exclusive rights to develop and commercialize elvitegravir in all countries of the world, excluding Japan, where JT retains rights.

Elvitegravir is an investigational therapy and has not yet been determined safe or efficacious in humans.

About GS 9350

Because elvitegravir requires a boosting agent to allow for once-daily dosing, Gilead is currently developing a proprietary pharmacokinetic-enhancing compound, GS 9350, that may potentially be used in conjunction with elvitegravir. Gilead's goal is to develop and bring to market a pharmacokinetic enhancer that does not have HIV activity, can be dosed once daily, is in solid form and is stable at room temperature, such that it can be co-formulated with elvitegravir and Truvada(R) (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) into a single tablet. A recently completed pilot formulation study has demonstrated that this can be achieved with GS 9350.

GS 9350 is currently being evaluated in a Phase I single and multiple dose-ranging clinical study. The study is designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of escalating single and multiple doses of GS 9350 in healthy volunteers.

GS 9350 is an investigational therapy and has not yet been determined safe or efficacious in humans.About Gilead Sciences

Gilead Sciences is a biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes innovative therapeutics in areas of unmet medical need. The company's mission is to advance the care of patients suffering from life-threatening diseases worldwide. Headquartered in Foster City, California, Gilead has operations in North America, Europe and Australia.

This press release includes forward-looking statements, within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the risk that the clinical studies for elvitegravir and GS 9350 may not yield positive results, which may in turn impede the development of these compounds. These risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those referred to in the forward-looking statements. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks are described in detail in Gilead's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007 and its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of 2008, as filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements are based on information currently available to Gilead, and Gilead assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements.

U.S. full prescribing information for Truvada is available at www.gilead.com.

Listened to the conference call earlier today. Very encouraging report. It sounds like if things stay on the same path they've been on for the past 5+ years with this approach, you're going to have quite a bit of building excitement for VRX496 (and potentially their vaccine VRX1023) going forward. To my untrained ear, the results they've achieved thus far are perhaps even better than they anticipated back in '03.

If anyone else who has a more technical background than I listened to the presentation and has some thoughts I'd love to hear them.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 24, 2008 - Aethlon Medical, Inc. (OTCBB:AEMD) disclosed today that a peer reviewed scientific paper coauthored by Aethlon researchers has been published in the Journal of Translational Medicine. The paper entitled, "Exosomes as a Tumor Immune Escape Mechanism: Possible Therapeutic Implications" discusses the mechanism by which exosomes released by cancerous tumors are able to kill off immune cells in cancer patients. The paper further discusses the novel therapeutic approach of the Aethlon Hemopurifier(R) to capture and inhibit the spread of such immunosuppressive exosomes in cancer patients.

"As we continue to progress the infectious disease applications of our Hemopurifier(R), the Journal of Translational Medicine publication recognizes and reinforces the additional potential of the Hemopurifier(R) within the $43 billion cancer therapy market," stated Aethlon Chairman and CEO, James A. Joyce. "We thank the numerous researchers who participated in coauthoring the paper with our research team," concluded Joyce.

Aethlon previously disclosed that researchers discovered that the Hemopurifier(R) is effective in capturing exosomes that are released by solid tumors, lymphomas, and leukemia. Exosomes induce T-cell apoptosis (programmed cell death), and block T-cell signaling, proliferation, and cytokine production. High concentrations of circulating exosomes correlate with reduced T-cell production and tumor progression in cancer patients. In studies led by Dr. Douglas Taylor at the University of Louisville, 60% of circulating exosomes were removed from the blood of ovarian cancer patients during first pass (approximately 10-minutes) through a small scale Hemopurifier(R). The capture data was consistent over the course of five different in vitro blood studies. The ability to reduce circulating exosomes would likely reverse immune suppression and increase patient responsiveness to both immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Dr. Taylor is a recognized authority on the causative effects of immune suppression in cancer patients. He is credited with the initial characterization of exosomes and is the leading peer reviewed author on the subject.

ScienceDaily (July 24, 2008) — CD4+ T lymphocytes, or simply CD4 T cells, are the "brains" of the immune system, coordinating its activity when the body comes under attack. They are also the cells that are attacked by HIV, the devastating virus that causes AIDS and has infected roughly 40 million people worldwide. The virus slowly eats away at CD4 T cells, weakening the immune system.

But the immune systems of HIV/AIDS patients face another enemy as well -- stress, which can accelerate CD4 T cell declines. Now, researchers at UCLA report that the practice of mindfulness meditation stopped the decline of CD4 T cells in HIV-positive patients suffering from stress, slowing the progression of the disease. The study was just released in the online edition of the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity.

Mindfulness meditation is the practice of bringing an open and receptive awareness of the present moment to experiences, avoiding thinking of the past or worrying about the future. It is thought to reduce stress and improve health outcomes in a variety of patient populations.

"This study provides the first indication that mindfulness meditation stress-management training can have a direct impact on slowing HIV disease progression," said lead study author David Creswell, a research scientist at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA. "The mindfulness program is a group-based and low-cost treatment, and if this initial finding is replicated in larger samples, it's possible that such training can be used as a powerful complementary treatment for HIV disease, alongside medications."

Creswell and his colleagues ran an eight-week mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR) meditation program and compared it to a one-day MBSR control seminar, using a stressed and ethnically diverse sample of 48 HIV-positive adults in Los Angeles. Participants in the eight-week group showed no loss of CD4 T cells, indicating that mindfulness meditation training can buffer declines. In contrast, the control group showed significant declines in CD4 T cells from pre-study to post-study. Such declines are a characteristic hallmark of HIV progression.

Creswell also noted that researchers found a "dose-response" relationship between MBSR class attendance and CD4 T cells, meaning, said Creswell, "the more mindfulness meditation classes people attended, the higher the CD4 T cells at the study's conclusion."

The researchers were also encouraged because the overall CD4 T cell effects remained even after controlling for a number of factors that could have skewed the study results. Most notably, they found equivalent protective effects for participants whether or not they were on antiretroviral medications for HIV. Even participants taking HIV medications showed the CD4 T cell buffering effect after the mindfulness meditation class, Creswell said.

There is emerging evidence from other studies that shows that behavioral stress-management programs can buffer HIV declines in HIV-positive people, Creswell noted. And while there has been an exponential increase of interest in and practice of mindfulness meditation in the West over the past 10 years, this study, he said, is the first to show an HIV disease protective effect with mindfulness meditation training.

In order to understand the health benefits of mindfulness meditation, Creswell and his colleagues at UCLA are now examining the underlying pathways through which mindfulness meditation reduces stress, using brain imaging, genetics and immune system measurements.

"Given the stress-reduction benefits of mindfulness meditation training, these findings indicate there can be health protective effects not just in people with HIV but in folks who suffer from daily stress," Creswell said.

This study was supported by postdoctoral research fellowship from the National Institute of Mental Health, a seed grant from the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology at UCLA, and the UCLA General Clinical Research Center. Other authors were Hector F. Myers, Steven W. Cole and Michael R. Irwin, all of whom declare no financial interests or conflicts of interest regarding this study

notice all the very amazing details of how long-term nonprogressors deal with the virus in all the papers!!the science is obviously trying to learn and mimic the long-term nonprogressors body reaction to the virus

seems they have lots of great new info

regarding those who say -- many times in the past they were disappointed when a hopeful road in science did not work out well in hiv research i have this to say --

it has only been in the last 1, 3, 5 or 7 years MAX that science even has the tools to understand this virus and the whole human genome and there have been huge amazing steps strides for ward in the last 1, 3, 5 or 7 years -- so now is time to be hopeful if ever there was a time

in the past 10 or 20 years ago science was just looking at tiny pieces of the puzzle, now the entire puzzle is layed out and the research on a weekly and monthly basis is finding how all this fits together and how to attack the picture

The data published today in the New England Journal of Medicine are Week 48 results from two identical ongoing multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase III studies (BENCHMRK-1 and BENCHMRK-2) that compare ISENTRESS in combination with optimized background therapy (OBT) to placebo plus OBT. The primary endpoint of this ongoing study is the percentage of patients that achieve HIV RNA virus levels less than 400 copies/mL at Week 16. Patients in the studies had HIV resistant to at least one drug in each of three classes (nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs), non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) and protease inhibitors (PIs)) of oral ARTs.

Patients in BENCHMRK-1 were enrolled in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America (Peru). The baseline viral load (geometric mean) was approximately 41,000 copies/mL for patients treated with ISENTRESS and 32,000 copies/mL for patients treated with the placebo regimen. The median baseline CD4 cell counts were 140 cells/mm3 for patients treated with ISENTRESS and 105 cells/mm3 for patients treated with the placebo regimen.

Patients in BENCHMRK-2 were enrolled in North and South America. The baseline viral load (geometric mean) was approximately 48,000 copies/mL for patients in both groups. The median baseline CD4 cell counts were 102 cells/mm3 for patients treated with ISENTRESS and 132 cells/mm3 for patients treated with the placebo regimen.

Patients received ISENTRESS 400 mg or placebo, each dosed orally twice daily in combination with OBT. OBT was determined based on each patient's prior treatment history and results from HIV resistance testing; and represents the best available antiviral drug combination individualized for each patient. In order to allow for the best possible treatment regimen to be constructed for each patient, darunavir and tipranavir, which were investigational medicines in many countries at the time of this study, were permitted for use in OBT.

Consistent suppression of viral load and increase in CD4 cell counts observed through 48 weeks of treatment with ISENTRESS

Results at Week 48 were consistent across both BENCHMRK studies. The results reported in the New England Journal of Medicine include both individual study results and a combined analysis of both studies at 48 weeks. At 48 weeks, the percentage of patients who achieved HIV RNA levels below 400 copies/mL were nearly two times greater for patients receiving ISENTRESS plus OBT (72 percent of patients; 332 of 459) compared to patients receiving placebo plus OBT (37 percent of patients; 88 of 237); p<0.001. In addition, ISENTRESS plus OBT suppressed viral load to undetectable levels (below 50 copies/mL) in significantly more patients compared to placebo plus OBT; 62 percent of patients (285 of 459) versus 33 percent of patients (78 of 237), respectively; p<0.001.

"The efficacy results shown after 48 weeks of treatment with ISENTRESS when used in combination with other anti-HIV medicines are consistent with observations at 24 weeks," said David Cooper M.D., D.Sc., professor of medicine and director of the National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.

Study results also showed that at 48 weeks, 16 of 462 patients (3.5 percent) receiving ISENTRESS plus OBT and 4 of 237 (1.7 percent) patients receiving placebo plus OBT were diagnosed as having new, recurrent or progressive cancer. Statistical analysis indicated these rates, adjusted for how much time the patients were on treatment, were not different, with relative risk of 1.54 and 95 percent confidence interval including 1 (0.50 to 6.34).

Results from subgroup exploratory analyses examining factors that would predict disease progression due to poor response to antiretroviral therapy were also published in the same issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The combined data from both studies showed that, after 48 weeks, ISENTRESS in combination with OBT showed greater response rates for lowering HIV viral load and increasing CD4 cell count over placebo plus OBT in patients with high levels of HIV-1 RNA (>100,000 copies/mL), very low CD4 cell counts (<50 cells/mm3) or low Phenotypic or Genotypic Sensitivity Scores ((PSS or GSS) for OBT <= 1) at study enrollment.

PSS and GSS scores help report the number of anti-HIV medicines in the OBT regimen to which a patient's HIV is susceptible, and represents the number of active agents in the OBT at the beginning of the study. A low PSS or GSS indicates that there are few or no active agents in the patients OBT regimen, and is a reflection that a patient's HIV had developed resistance to a greater number of anti-HIV medicines prior to the study.

Study results showed that in patients with the fewest active drugs in their OBT, those with a GSS of 0, the virus was suppressed to undetectable levels in more patients receiving ISENTRESS plus OBT compared to patients receiving placebo plus OBT, 45 percent versus 3 percent, respectively; and mean increases in CD4 cell counts from baseline in these patients were 81 and 11 cells/mm3, respectively. In patients who were more likely to respond to treatment, those with more active OBT (GSS of 2), 77 percent of patients receiving ISENTRESS plus OBT achieved undetectable viral loads versus 62 percent of patients receiving placebo plus OBT; and mean increases in CD4 cell counts were 145 and 87 cells/mm3, respectively.

By week 48, 23 percent of patients (105 of 462) receiving ISENTRESS plus OBT had virologic failure (HIV viral RNA greater than 400 copies/mL). Resistance testing done on viruses isolated from 94 of the 105 patients with virologic failure showed that 68 percent (64) had genotypic evidence of resistance to ISENTRESS. Seventy-five percent of the patients with evidence of genotypic resistance (48) had two or more ISENTRESS resistance-associated mutations.

John, we definetly need people like you on this site, I appreciate anyone that takes they're personal time to post information for everyone. This site is very important to me and without people like you there would be nothing to read. I don't know about everyone else but I take information with a grain of salt, but I do love reading new information and everytime I come on this site the only thing I read is research news and studies so it is very important that people like you stay with us. I look forward to reading your posts for a long time ( actually I hope there's a cure soon so I only have to read your post's for a short time) but anyway I just wanted to let you know that you are appreciated by alot more people than ones that don't apreciate you, so don't let the haters stop you from doing what you want to do, and remember strangers bad opinions of you mean nothing.

I would have to agree with datadude, I really enjoy reading your post along with Bimizik's posts. I look forward to reading new information on research that I am to lazy to look up or to stupid to find on my own. Keep up the good work John2038.

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Atheist don't believe in GOD, but GOD believes in them and loves them. Never let the failure of man conflict with your love of GOD.

I would like to publish the VIRxSYS report, but it is confidential (approval to publish pending).I do not believe this report contains any critical information (the summary above say almost everything, the rest is technical), but I have to respect my contact.

Just these few slides and perspectives (not confidential).

* Final definition for the phase IIb expected to be defined in ~3 months (in consultation with our Medical Advisory Board)* Preparing for Phase 3: • All manufacturing and cell processing will be performed at VIRxSYS – Enlarging GMP facilities – R&D relocating to separate facilities • Full validation plan under development • VIRxSYS has own internal Manufacturing, Cell Processing, Regulatory, QC, QA and Facilities groups – Network of outside consultants assist for full CMC and clinical compliance • Collaboration with major bio-pharma demonstrated scalability of vector manufacturing

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Otherwise, got 2 very naives questions. Maybe someone around you can provide some answers or just a clue about how stupid they might be.

1) Is it possible to create steriles CD4s OR some kind of CD4s clones with just the envelope (receptors CCR5 / CXCR4) so the virus could bind to them without being able to reproduce ?

2) Does the virus have an electrical charge (+ or -) ? If so, could for e.g. a magnetic field force the virus to exit from the latent reservoirs and so be exposed to the drugs ?

Adaptation of a text that was read by Sir Laurence OlivierPosting it maybe against the pessimistic way of posting that some (typically veterans but not all) love to adopt.

Be optimistic doesn't hurt and improve the quality of life. Your risk to die from optimism is certainly lower that the risk to die from pessimism.

So far, if we take a bird eye view on the research, we have always progress.So optimism can't be a wrong attitude. You can't be happy without it.

Your life is an expression of your mind.

As a human being you are "free to will" whatever state of being you desire through the use of your thoughts and words.

There is great Power there.

It can be a blessing or a curse.

It's entirely up to you, for the quality of your life is brought about by the quality of your thinking. Think about that.

Look at what you are thinking.See the pettiness and the envy and the greed and the fear and all the other attitudes that cause you pain and discomfort.

Realize that the one thing you have absolute control over is your attitude.

See the effect that it has on those around you, for each life is linked to all Life and your words carry with them chain reactions like a stone that has been thrown into a pond. If your thinking is in order, your words will flow directly from the heart, creating ripples of love.

If you truly want to change your world, my friends, you must change your thinking. Reason is your greatest tool. It creates an atmosphere of understanding which leads to caring which is Love.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

john this is beautiful info and i have tears in my eyes, what this means to me is that person who are experiencing treatment failure can have good results with this in some cases so it points to great hopeyou are a good man and we all appreciate your workthank you

Why does someone not even on meds yet worry about treatment failure a decade from now? Sheesh.

As someone who existed for +15 years with an elevated viral load due to treatment failure, during what was the Medieval Ages of HIV treatment I fail to comprehend this, when in fact 10 years from now there will be even more meds available.

just today i was worry about what would happen to me personally ten years from now if treatment failure ever happened

Holy crap. Are you serious. Your worried about this and your not on meds yet?? I wouldn't worry about aids killing you, it will probably be the bleeding ulcers from all that worry, that will do you in.

http://www.aids2008.org/Pag/Abstracts.aspx?SID=287&AID=16101High rate of virologic success with raltegravir plus etravirine and darunavir/ritonavirin treatment-experienced patients with multidrug-resistant virus: results of the ANRS 139 TRIO trialConclusions: In patients with resistant viruses and few remaining treatment options,the combination of raltegravir, etravirine and darunavir/r is safe and has a rate of virological suppression similar to that reported for treatment-naive patients.

http://www.aids2008.org/Pag/Abstracts.aspx?SID=287&AID=16247Antiviral activity of RDEA806, a novel HIV non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, in treatment of näive HIV patientsConclusions: RDEA806 was well tolerated and produced robust antiviral activity when dosed as monotherapy. Once daily dosing with the new enteric-coated tablet produced equivalent activity to BID dosing, and sufficient antiviral activity to proceed into a Phase 2b study.

http://www.aids2008.org/Pag/Abstracts.aspx?SID=287&AID=15828IDX899, a novel HIV-1 NNRTI with high barrier to resistance, provides suppression of HIV viral load in treatment-naïve HIV-1-infected subjectsConclusions: Once daily oral IDX899 was well tolerated and demonstrated potent HIV-1 antiviral activity at all tested doses. The protocol was amended to add a 100 mg cohort which has been initiated.

http://www.aids2008.org/Pag/Abstracts.aspx?SID=256&AID=5998TMC278 (rilpivirine), a next-generation NNRTI, demonstrates long-term efficacy and tolerability in ARV-naïve patients: 96-week results of study C204Conclusions: TMC278 was generally well tolerated with less increase in serum lipids and lower incidences of rash, nervous system and psychiatric events, compared with EFV. TMC278 demonstrated a high response rate and sustained virologic response over 96 weeks.

http://www.aids2008.org/Pag/Abstracts.aspx?SID=256&AID=4376Safety profile of apricitabine, a novel NRTI, during 24-week dosing in experienced HIV-1 infected patientsConclusions: ATC is safe and very well tolerated over 24 weeks in combination with other ART. There was no evidence of peripheral neuropathy, myelotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, hypersensitivity, lipidaemia, hyperlipasaemia or renal toxicity. As a second-line drug for treatment-experienced patients, ATC provides antiviral activity with an unparalleled safety and tolerability profile.

http://www.aids2008.org/Pag/Abstracts.aspx?SID=291&AID=16002ACTG 5202: shorter time to virologic failure (VF) with abacavir/lamivudine (ABC/3TC)than tenofovir/emtricitabine (TDF/FTC) as part of combination therapy in treatment-naïve subjects with screening HIV RNA >=100,000 c/mLConclusions: In subjects entering A5202 with screening HIV RNA >=100,000 c/mL, there was a significantly shorter time to VF and grade 3/4 AEs in subjects randomized to ABC/3TC than TDF/FTC. The comparisons of blinded NRTIs in the lower HIV RNA stratum and each regimen’s third drug in both strata are ongoing.

http://www.aids2008.org/Pag/Abstracts.aspx?SID=287&AID=16258PEARLS (ACTG A5175): a multinational study of didanosine-EC, emtricitabine and atazanavir vs. co-formulated zidovudine/lamivudine and efavirenz for initial treatment of HIV-1 infectionConclusions: ddI+FTC+ATV had inferior outcome compared to ZDV/3TC+EFV; study participants currently taking this regimen are switching to alternate ARVs.

Newly infected but already resistant, good news

http://www.aids2008.org/Pag/Abstracts.aspx?SID=247&AID=7832First-line HAART guided by genotypic resistance testing - long-term follow-up data from the RESINA-studyConclusions: The prevalence of primary HIV drug resistance was about 10%. In the long-term follow-up of this large cohort, application of resistance testing resulted in equal efficacy of HAART in cases showing resistant virus as compared to cases with wild-type virus. Thus, genotypic resistance testing should be strongly taken into account for tailoring the first-line HAART.

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts

"...health will finally be seen not as a blessing to be wished for, but as a human right to be fought for." Kofi Annan

Nymphomaniac: a woman as obsessed with sex as an average man. Mignon McLaughlin

HIV is certainly character-building. It's made me see all of the shallow things we cling to, like ego and vanity. Of course, I'd rather have a few more T-cells and a little less character. Randy Shilts